The present invention relates generally to a vehicle seat, and more specifically to a combination stroller and adult/child seat for a vehicle.
Various child restraint seats for vehicles have been proposed. Some known child seats are attached directly to the existing vehicle seat by straps or other connectors. Other known child seats have folding wheels that swing down so that the seat may be used as a stroller, which stroller is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,888 issued to Qureshi et al. Such a combination child seat/stroller, however, is used in addition to the existing car seat and is cumbersome to install and uninstall. Additionally, such combination car seats are relatively costly to produce and must be purchased separately and are generally not offered as an xe2x80x9coptionxe2x80x9d by the vehicle manufacturer or dealer.
Such known child seats, although effective, suffer some notable drawbacks. First, the seat may not be properly secured by the parent or other adult. This can result in the failure of the car seat to protect the child. Second, the seat, when not needed, must be removed and stored elsewhere. Apart from being inconvenient, this situation leads to the temptation not to use the child seat. Also, the seat can be lost or otherwise unlocatable, and thus be inaccessible when needed. Accordingly, the child would be either prevented from traveling in the car or be placed in a high-risk situation.
Another type of car seat relates those built into or otherwise formed as a part of the existing automobile seat. This type of seat is built such that a child can be seated safely in the automobile by folding downwardly or otherwise moving a cross member associated with the seat over the child. One example of such built-in seat restraints is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,366 issued Oct. 28, 1980 to Ruda. The Ruda reference teaches a passive child restraint which is built into the rear bench seat of an automobile. The U-shaped member is disposed around the child so that the child has both his or her lateral and forward movement restricted. The U-shaped restraint member may be rotated, lifted or pulled into position around the child.
Another seat of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,422 issued Jul. 27, 1982 to Cunningham, and is entitled xe2x80x9cRestraint Device.xe2x80x9d The Cunningham reference teaches a child restraint device that alternatively serves as a headrest for an adult. The restraint device comprises a deformable rigid foam member having a convexo-concavo surface. The foam member is secured to the top portion of a seat back. When an infant is seated on the car seat, the foam member may be removed from the top of the seat and placed on the child""s lap. The foam member is then secured thereto by the car seat belt. The foam member is lowered into position via webs wound around and extendable from retractor wheels. When mounted atop the car seat, the foam member encompasses and hides the webs and retractor wheels.
Still another seat is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,112 issued Jul. 24, 1990 to Law for a xe2x80x9cChild""s Collapsible Car Seat.xe2x80x9d The Law reference teaches a child""s car seat that is built into an adult car seat. The seatback is pulled down and rests horizontally upon the lower portion of the seat. The seatback then forms the lower portion of the child seat. The headrest is then rotated forwardly and downwardly, securing the child therein. The back of the child car seat is defined by the newly exposed area to which the lower portion had previously been secured.
The above-described car seats, however, cannot be converted into a child stroller while also being configured to accommodate either an adult or child in the seat. A need exists for xe2x80x9cstockxe2x80x9d car seat adapted for use by an adult or child that can be converted into a stroller for use outside the vehicle.
The disadvantages of present vehicle seats are substantially overcome with the present invention by providing a novel combination vehicle passenger seat/child stroller apparatus adapted to be releasably secured to existing floor-board seat tracks of a vehicle. The apparatus is selectively convertible between a stroller mode for use outside the vehicle and a seat mode for supporting an adult or child passenger inside the vehicle. More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention includes an upright body portion and a corresponding first cushion, a bottom body portion and a corresponding second cushion, where the bottom body portion is operatively coupled to the upright body portion. Also included are front wheels and rear wheels, and front arms and rear arms each having proximal and distal ends. The distal ends of the front arms are operatively connected to the front wheels, and the distal ends of the rear arms operatively connected to the rear wheels. The proximal ends of the arms are pivotally connected to either the upright body portion or the bottom body portion. The front and rear arms are configured to pivot and fold inwardly such that in the seat mode, either the front arms or the rear arms secure the apparatus to the seat tracks of the vehicle via a hook or latch mechanism. When in stroller mode, the front and rear arms are configured to pivot and extend outwardly.